Fossils Exploration in Spiti Overview

Fossils in Spiti comes as a surprise to most and not many travellers are aware of the opportunities for fossil exploration in Spiti. It’s not an exaggeration to say that geologically and archaeologically, Spiti is a living museum. Millions of years ago, Spiti however lay submerged under the Tethys Sea. Remnants of its geological past are evident in the unique landscape and the diverse fossils found in the valley.

The Himalayas were formed as a result of the collision of the Indian and the Eurasian plate millions of years ago which led to the disappearance of the ancient Tethys Sea leaving behind fossilized clues of the sea life of that era. In short, if fossils interest you, then Spiti is your place. The route to the natural fossil centre starts at Langza, from where it is about a half hour walk to its base. The fossil centre ranges from an average altitude of 4400 meters to 4600 meters along a narrow stream and is best explored here.

The geological history of Spiti Valley dates back 500 million years with a remarkable plethora of Precambrian/Cambrian era fossils and a recent study by the Geological Society of America shows that Spiti contains various marine fossils. These Paleozoic Era fossils represent some of the earliest legged creatures, relatives of crabs and spiders. It’s then not without reason that Spiti has come to be known as the fossil park of the Himalayas.

Himalayan Shepherd provides you the services of a local guide for a visit to the fossil sites in Spiti. While langza village is the most accessible and closest from kaza for fossil exploration in Spiti, there are lots of places in spiti like komic, demul, lalung and especially the mountains behind rangrik where if you are lucky fossils the size of a small dining table can be found. All these fossil sites are easily accessible from Kaza. Unlike wildlife where we can almost never guarantee any sightings, we do however guarantee that you would be able to find some fossils yourself provided you are patient for about half an hour to one hour.